Cheese, Zucchini & Pinenut Scones

Last weekend I decided that it was time to tackle the overgrown grass surrounding my veggie plot (which I think has some tomatoes growing in it) but upon getting the grass strimmer out of the shed I discovered I had no cord left- time for the Sunday afternoon dash to the DIY store.

On my way back home I got lost. Honestly it wasn’t on purpose to get out of the grass cutting I was genuinely lost in Mt Roskhill or somewhere. After about 20mins of going around in manic circles I found myself on familiar territory, albeit not where I had been heading to begin with but I could work with it.

Hot, bothered and slightly irritable I turned the car towards home and spied something which always lightens my heart-a café I hadn’t visited before. The car promptly got dumped and in I limped in for a much needed flat white and a scone. I was so frazzled I forgot to take pictures and I can’t even remember what the café was called. It did however have some divine scones-cheese, zucchini and pinenut.

So after some grass mowing and strimming I relaxed in the kitchen by attempting to recreate the scones from the café.

So tell me, do you grow your own vegetables and do you think they are worth the hassle?

Cheese, Zucchini and Pinenut Scones

Ingredients

This recipe is for approx. 9-12 scones depending on size of cutter.

·         3 cups plain flour

·         1 ½ Tbsp. baking powder

·         ¼ Tsp. salt

·         50g butter

·         2 small zucchini, grated

·         2 Tbsp. pinenuts, toasted

·         50g cheese, grated

1.   Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2.   Grate the zucchini and squeeze to remove excess water. Set aside.

3.   Toast the pinenuts in the oven for about 5mins. Keeping a close eye so that they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.

4.   Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine, or you can do this by hand with a big bowl and a wooden spoon.

5.   Add the butter, roughly cut into cubes, and process until you get fine breadcrumbs. If doing this by hand-rub the butter in until you have a consistency of fine breadcrumbs.

6.   Add the drained zucchini, cooled pinenuts and half of the grated cheese.

Pulse the food processor to combine.

7.   Tip the contents of the food processor into a large bowl and create a well in the centre. Add the milk.

8.   Mix in the milk using a cutting action, which will create large lumps of scone mixture as it comes together.

9.   Use your hands to gently gather the dough together and knead to create a smooth ball. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH.

10. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about ½ inch thickness. Cut out shapes.

11. Place on a greased baking tray and brush the tops with a little egg wash (equal parts egg and milk whisked together) and top with the remaining cheese.

12.  Bake for about 20mins.

Cranberry, Orange & Port Sauce

Christmas means different things to different people. For me it means family. My fondest memories of Christmas are when I lived in the North of Scotland and would drive home to my parents’ house on Christmas eve, sometimes through the snow to be met by the delicious smells of pre-Christmas day cooking and the distant hum of computer games being played by my brothers in the games room (which I might add used to be my bedroom until I came home one day to find I’d been moved to the attic and a huge flat screen TV and playstation in place of my bed and desk-although technically I hadn’t been living at home for over 5 years so I couldn't argue too much).

It was around this time that I decided to make my own cranberry sauce and discovered this recipe on a vegetarian Christmas website. The smells which fill the kitchen whilst this is cooking are the smells of Christmas and the end result is so homely and cheerful looking that you can’t help but get that smug glow of a domestic goddess. It also makes a wonderful present.

Unfortunately it’s going to be just me and Mr K for Christmas this year as it’s a bit of a longer drive from Auckland to Scotland but in honour of my parents I am using a bottle of port which they bought for us when they came to visit earlier this year. Cheers!

I struggled to find fresh cranberries at this time of year in Auckland but I did find some lovely organic frozen ones in Wise Cicada in Newmarket which will do the job.

Cranberry, Orange & Port Sauce

Ingredients

This recipe is for approx. 2 cups or 2 jars of sauce. My mason jars  from Stevens can hold just over 1 cup.

·         3 cups (300g) cranberries

·         2 oranges, juice from both and zest from 1

·         1 cup (200g) of castor sugar

·         8 Tbsp. of Port

1.   Add the cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and half the port to a saucepan.

2.   Bring to the boil and then turn the heat right down so that it is just simmering.

3.   Simmer for about 15mins until the sauce becomes syrupy and the cranberries have popped and become pulpy.

Do not allow it to reduce too much and burn. You can cover for 5 mins to allow the fruit to break down without the liquid reducing too much.

4.   Stir in the remaining port and turn off the heat.

5.   Fill some sterilized jars (I sterilise jars by placing them half filled with water in the microwave for 10mins. I cover the lids with hot water and soak for 10mins). Seal and allow to cool before putting in the refrigerator.

    The jars should keep for a few weeks, although I have usually given them all away or eaten them within 2 weeks so I am not sure of their exact shelf life.

So tell me, what are your favourite memories of Christmas?

dinner (just checking my presents taste good)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

When myself and Mr K were on our adventures we had to live a slightly feral existence. We didn’t want for anything and of course we still insisted that everything we cooked was freshly made, tasty and gourmet, sometimes helped by the fact that we often bought our veggies straight from the farmer and had the freedom to visit local producers and design entire menus on the day. We were however restricted by what we could fit in the boot of the car and by the cooking facilities available (often just the camp fire!).

One time we had this crazy craving for bangers and mash despite the impending monsoon tropical heat of The Kimberly, so I once found myself making mashed potato by pushing potatoes through a very fine sieve.

The box of goodies-sieve included

The first time I made this soup I used a very similar fine sieve to make it super creamy. It worked a treat (for the potatoes too) but a quick blast in the liquidiser does the job just the same and is much faster. Trust me this soup is so moreish you won’t want to waste a drop or time pushing it through a sieve, unless of course you are living out of the back of a station wagon and don’t have any choice.

Other than decisions around how you’ll get the lumps out this is a super easy recipe with only 5 ingredients. The cauliflower is the star so make this when they are in season and look deliciously creamy.

So tell me, have you ever gone to crazy lengths just to satisfy a craving for food even for something as simple as bangers and mash?

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

Makes about 6 serves depending on the size of cauliflower

·         1 Cauliflower, broken into florets

·         1 onion

·         2 cloves garlic

·         1 TBSP Olive Oil

·         1-2L of vegetable stock (depends on how much cauliflower you have)

1.   Chop the onion and garlic roughly then add to a large saucepan with the olive oil. Cook gently to soften.

2.   Add the cauliflower and enough stock to cover. (I needed 2L to cover the huge cauliflower Mr K insisted on buying).

3.   Bring to the boil then simmer gently until the cauliflower is soft. Keep covered so that it doesn't reduce too much.

4.   Allow to cool.

5.   Liquidise (or sieveJ) to obtain a beautiful creamy consistency. Add more stock if too thick.

6.   Reheat and serve with crusty bread.

To make it super tasty, and a little naughty, you can throw in a handful of grated cheese (cheddar or blue is best) and allow to melt. The soup also freezes really well.



Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

Everyone agrees that Clevedon is full of Poms. I’ve heard conflicting information as to why. Some suggest it’s the wetter than average Auckland climate reminding them of home, others that it has something to do with horses and hunting, although there aren’t any foxes in New Zealand so who knows what they are hunting.

One thing is for sure, I love Clevedon and I too am a pom!

The wet climate and huge hills put me off moving there but I do like to go of a weekend, buy some veggies at the Farmers market then swank around in the village coffee in hand.

Now I think about it this practice probably makes me closer to being a Jafa than a pom but either way we had a lovely day out in Clevedon last Sunday.

The market is just outside the village and wonderfully chilled out with music playing in the background as people browse for vegetables, chilli sauce, fresh pasta and of course the famous buffalo mozzarella.

After stocking up on the vegetables for the week we headed straight to the brownie stand. I make a pretty mean brownie and Mr K often says I only buy other peoples brownies to say they are not as good as mine. NOT TRUE! I do buy other peoples brownies but its research, I want the ultimate brownie and if someone has a better brownie I want to know about it. I’ve so far found two which are better than or at least as good as mine-Auckland Domestic Airport and Clevedon market. The range at Clevedon is fantastic and the value of 4 for $10 unbeatable.

After stocking up with the brownies we head into the village to grab a coffee and enjoy our spoils.

So tell me, what is your signature dish and do you try others just to make sure yours is still better?

Chocolate Raspberry Brownies

(or if you want ones just as good J head to Clevedon Market)

Ingredients

Makes about 20, depending on how big you cut them

·         200g Dark Chocolate (I use Whittaker’s 62% Dark Cacao)

·         200g unsalted butter

·         5 eggs

·         2 cups of caster sugar

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         1 1/3 cups plain flour

·         1 tsp. baking powder

·         ½ cup cocoa powder

·         ½ cup raspberry jam

·          

1.   Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl. I use the microwave for this. I just do it one minute at a time and it usually takes three minutes but you need to keep a careful eye on it or you’ll ruin it. Otherwise you can do this in a bowl over simmering water (about 15mins). Once melted set aside to cool slightly.

2.   Gently whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla in another bowl. Don’t put too much air in this.

3.   Thoroughly mix the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.

4.   Sieve (a must here because of the cocoa) the flour, baking powder and cocoa on top then gently fold this in. Don’t over work it but make sure there are no lumps of flour remaining.

5.   Pour this into a tin, which is already lined and greased (or I use a silicone tray to save all this hassle). 24 x 24cm.

6.   Dollop the raspberry jam over the top. Swirl the jam through the mixture with a wooden skewer.

7.   Bake in the oven for about 35mins at 160°C. The top should have formed a crust and an inserted skewer comes out with some moist crumbs still attached.

8.   Let the cake cool in the tin (very important or else you end up with half the cake still in the tin).

9.   Now just slice and serve with fresh berries and yoghurt.

It keeps for a few days and actually seems to get better with age!

You could make this orange chocolate cake by changing the raspberry jam for marmalade.

Malaysian Style Noodles

In my mid-twenties I decided to quit my job and move to South Korea as an English Teacher.  I was hoping for an adventure and heaps of money, or at least that’s how it was sold to me by my friend who had decided he wanted a life less ordinary. I think I was a little in love with my friend too so the idea of heading off on an exotic adventure together seemed romantic and exciting.

Of course it didn’t work out exactly as I hoped but I did have an adventure and learned some big life lessons on the way.

What does unrequited love and South Korea have to do with Malaysian style noodles? Well nothing really except one of those life lessons learned, courtesy of my friend less ordinary, plays a part in the following recipe.

My approach to cooking is the same as my approach to life- it involves minimal preparation, romantic ideas and an uncertain outcome.

Not for my friend less ordinary, for him cooking was all about the preparation.

There were times when the preparation of a meal took so long I would go out for a snack, take a nap and then get up only to find the cooking had still not started. It wasn’t so much the time taken, although often this was quite extreme, but the number of dishes used in the process that drove me crazy. Every item would be meretriciously sliced, cubed, peeled, washed etc. and placed on its own individual plate and all his recipes seemed to include a ridiculously large number of components, often leading to the use of every plate, bowl, and saucer we owned.

I will never be able to go to the same extremes as my friend less ordinary but for some recipes I try to restrain myself and prepare all the elements before I start cooking. I think my Malaysian noodles taste better for it.

So tell me, do you prepare everything before you start cooking or does it all just happen as it happens? And have you ever quit your job and moved half way round the world for love? did it work out?

Ingredients

Serves 4

Sauce

·         2 tbsp. Chilli Jam or sweet chilli sauce

·         2 tbsp. fish sauce

·         1 tbsp. tomato ketchup

·         2 tbsp. soy sauce

·         2 tbsp. peanut oil

·         2 tsp. curry powder (ready prepared or make your own)

Stir fry

·         2 tbsp. peanut oil

·         Tofu (firm)

·         2 shallots

·         2 cloves of garlic

·         500g fresh egg noodles (and size is ok but I like the thick ones best)

·         Bok Choy

·         Handful of bean sprouts

Garnish

·         2 spring onions

·         2 red chillies

·         lime wedges

·         hard boiled eggs

1.   First prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

 

2.   Next prepare all the vegetables and tofu (my friend less ordinary would be so proud).

·         Finely chop the shallots and garlic

·         Cut the tofu into bite sized cubes

·         Rinse the bok choy and separate the leaves

·         Slice the spring onion and chilli for the garnish

3.   Prepare the noodles. If fresh these should only need a quick rinse with boiling water to remove the oil they always seem to be coated in. If using dry then these should be cooked as per the instructions.

4.   Boil the eggs.

5.   Once everything is ready heat the oil in the wok to begin stir frying.

6.   Start with the tofu and stir fry until it begins to crisp.

7.   Next add the shallots and garlic. Stir fry for a minute or two before adding the sauce.

8. Allow the sauce to bubble for a minute or so before adding the noodles. Toss to coat.

9.   Continue to cook for a further 2 min or until the sauce has mostly been absorbed by the tofu and noodles before adding the bean sprouts and bok choy.

10.            Toss gently and once the bok choy has just wilted it’s ready to serve.

11.            Sprinkle the spring onion and chilli slices on top and serve with boiled egg quarters and a wedge of lime.

To make this vegetarian just substitute extra soy sauce for the fish sauce. To make it more substantial you can add prawns, squid or extra veggies such as runner beans.